Minnesota native Jen Watts is well aware of the state's stereo­types. "Fargo" quotes, you betcha. But she was stumped when her 3-year-old fell over, exclaimed "ope!" and then got back up and toddled ...

Ope? What does "ope" mean? The question came up a couple of weeks ago while I was having lunch with a few other Dispatch summer interns. We were discussing stereotypical “Midwestern” things — such as ...

“Ope” is a mysterious noise that has no concrete definition, but you’ve likely had the displeasure of hearing it when accidentally bumping into someone or otherwise experiencing surprise. It sounds ...